Sorry Brad, I'm gonna have to go with Raiders

Published: Sunday, January 26, 2003 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, January 26, 2003 at 12:00 a.m.

I never was quite big enough to play football at any level -- middle school, high school or college. But that hasn't stopped me from being one of the sport's biggest fans.

I'm a graduate of A.C. Reynolds High School, and that means I love football. When I started A.C. Reynolds Middle School back in 1983, I began going with my best friend and his dad to every single Reynolds football game.

It's been a while since then, but I can still name some of the Rockets that stood out in my mind, like fullback Bobby Bowens, running back Carey Metts and a very good friend of mine, offensive guard Johnny Rhodes. My friend, his dad, Johnny and I all went to the same church, and there was usually a pretty good church crowd at the game cheering Johnny on.

One fall night back in 1983, Johnny, who was a senior then, had a sack on a freshman quarterback from Owen. It was no big deal at the time.

"Boy, Dean, that's been a long time ago. I was a senior and he was a freshman. I usually played on the offensive line, but I was sent in to play defense a little bit. I went in at nose guard, and I managed to chase this guy to the sideline and finally pull him down," Johnny said on Saturday.

After that game was over, Johnny didn't think anything of it. He was a senior pulling down a freshman quarterback. But after several years passed, Johnny realized that he had pulled down someone more important than just a freshman quarterback -- he had pulled down a future NFL star in Brad Johnson.

After Johnson made a name for himself in the big leagues, Johnny said he followed him through the newspaper and television.

"I would always look at his games and see how he was doing. I'd always sit back and think, `Man, that's neat. He's from Asheville, and I've played him.'"

But that's not what Johnny tells his fellow employees at work now.

"Now I go in there and say, `Hey, I had a sack on Brad Johnson.' You know, for a long time, I thought I was the only guy in the area who could say that. Then one day, this guy gets transferred to my section at work. It turns out he also had sacked Brad during a game, and he had the newspaper to prove it. His name was Brad Carver, and he played at Reynolds after I graduated. It was pretty strange," Johnny said.

Johnny said he, of course, would be pulling for Brad Johnson in today's Super Bowl, but I'm still a little torn between the Buccaneers and Raiders. I can never forget those games where it looked like the entire Reynolds defense was swarming in on Brad, and then all of sudden, a bullet would come firing out of the mass of green jerseys. Touchdown, Owen.

And there was one year when Reynolds was killing everyone in town. The Rockets could've gone unbeaten in the regular season had it not been for, you guessed it, Brad Johnson. So it's hard for me to feel good about cheering for this guy. But, hey, he is local, and he's in the Super Bowl. I should be cheering for him, just like I cheered for Hendersonville's Sam Gash when he won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens a few years back.

Nope, I can't do it this year. Especially since Brad's teammates are Warren Sapp and Keyshawn Johnson, two of the most cockiest players in the entire world. Sapp, who is as huge as a house, almost paralyzes a player and he seems proud of it, while Keyshawn holds out at the beginning of the year for more money. A millionaire complaining about not getting paid enough -- impossible to cheer for. That's pathetic in both cases. Both those guys need to have this completely empty feeling of finishing second. That would be humorous justice. Sorry, Brad, but I'm going to have to go with the ... Raiders, 24-17.

<p>I never was quite big enough to play football at any level -- middle school, high school or college. But that hasn't stopped me from being one of the sport's biggest fans.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>I'm a graduate of A.C. Reynolds High School, and that means I love football. When I started A.C. Reynolds Middle School back in 1983, I began going with my best friend and his dad to every single Reynolds football game.</p><p>It's been a while since then, but I can still name some of the Rockets that stood out in my mind, like fullback Bobby Bowens, running back Carey Metts and a very good friend of mine, offensive guard Johnny Rhodes. My friend, his dad, Johnny and I all went to the same church, and there was usually a pretty good church crowd at the game cheering Johnny on.</p><p>One fall night back in 1983, Johnny, who was a senior then, had a sack on a freshman quarterback from Owen. It was no big deal at the time.</p><p>"Boy, Dean, that's been a long time ago. I was a senior and he was a freshman. I usually played on the offensive line, but I was sent in to play defense a little bit. I went in at nose guard, and I managed to chase this guy to the sideline and finally pull him down," Johnny said on Saturday.</p><p>After that game was over, Johnny didn't think anything of it. He was a senior pulling down a freshman quarterback. But after several years passed, Johnny realized that he had pulled down someone more important than just a freshman quarterback -- he had pulled down a future NFL star in Brad Johnson.</p><p>After Johnson made a name for himself in the big leagues, Johnny said he followed him through the newspaper and television.</p><p>"I would always look at his games and see how he was doing. I'd always sit back and think, `Man, that's neat. He's from Asheville, and I've played him.'"</p><p>But that's not what Johnny tells his fellow employees at work now.</p><p>"Now I go in there and say, `Hey, I had a sack on Brad Johnson.' You know, for a long time, I thought I was the only guy in the area who could say that. Then one day, this guy gets transferred to my section at work. It turns out he also had sacked Brad during a game, and he had the newspaper to prove it. His name was Brad Carver, and he played at Reynolds after I graduated. It was pretty strange," Johnny said.</p><p>Johnny said he, of course, would be pulling for Brad Johnson in today's Super Bowl, but I'm still a little torn between the Buccaneers and Raiders. I can never forget those games where it looked like the entire Reynolds defense was swarming in on Brad, and then all of sudden, a bullet would come firing out of the mass of green jerseys. Touchdown, Owen.</p><p>And there was one year when Reynolds was killing everyone in town. The Rockets could've gone unbeaten in the regular season had it not been for, you guessed it, Brad Johnson. So it's hard for me to feel good about cheering for this guy. But, hey, he is local, and he's in the Super Bowl. I should be cheering for him, just like I cheered for Hendersonville's Sam Gash when he won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens a few years back.</p><p>Nope, I can't do it this year. Especially since Brad's teammates are Warren Sapp and Keyshawn Johnson, two of the most cockiest players in the entire world. Sapp, who is as huge as a house, almost paralyzes a player and he seems proud of it, while Keyshawn holds out at the beginning of the year for more money. A millionaire complaining about not getting paid enough -- impossible to cheer for. That's pathetic in both cases. Both those guys need to have this completely empty feeling of finishing second. That would be humorous justice. Sorry, Brad, but I'm going to have to go with the ... Raiders, 24-17.</p><p>Contact staff writer Dean Hensley at Dean.Hensley@hendersonvillenews.com</p>